9 Simple Strategies to Attract More Men Into Your Salon

Savvy spa and salon owners shouldn’t ignore it any longer! MANicures, Massage and Microdermabrasion are words that are creeping steadily into the male vocabulary.

Just like their female counterparts, men want to take advantage of the vast array of treatments that will leave them looking and feeling younger, less stressed and more attractive… and they are prepared to pay handsomely to have it.

In the majority of salons, men make up a very small portion of the client base; generally around only 5 to 10 per cent. Spa and salon entrepreneurs are slowly beginning to realise there is an opportunity here, and are developing new and innovative ways to entice more men through their doors.

Attracting men into your salon can definitely improve your income, but to get them in and keep them coming back, does take a little bit of extra planning and preparation. Once you are able to make them feel welcome and comfortable, you’ve created the opportunity to convert them into loyal, long-term clients.

Here are 9 simple strategies to help you get and keep more men in your salon:

Strategy #1 –Learn How Men Communicate

When ladies visit a salon and spa they are more open to a bit of girl talk and light gossip than men generally are. Before you let your team members loose on your new male clientele, ensure you’ve taught them how to communicate more effectively with their male clients.

Chatting about the latest chic flicks or celebrity is likely to leave men feeling like a fish out of water. Instead, encourage your team to ask their clients about themselves.

Topics such as what sports or hobbies they enjoy and how they spend their downtime are more man-friendly topics.

By doing this, your team members don’t have to be experts in men’s favourite topics of conversation, they simply have to be good listeners.

Strategy # 2 – Develop Your “Just for Men” Menu

A “Just for Men” menu is a necessity for your salon if you want to grow your male database.

It doesn’t have to be extensive (in fact, it’s better to be brief, simple and succinct), but men feel better about having a list of “Men Only” services from which to choose, rather than have to plough their way through a more extensive list of services designed primarily for women.

Simplicity is essential, so offer just a few services within each category. A small separate insert for your current service menu outlining your “Treatments Just for Men” will be more appealing and less intimidating to your prospective male clients.

In general, men prefer to choose a healthy sounding service over a service that sounds overly pampering. Therefore a basic ‘Skin Cleanse’ rather than a ‘Deeply Hydrating and Relaxing Facial’ is more likely to appeal to their manly instincts.
But don’t get me wrong here – most men thoroughly enjoy the pampering that comes with the service, so I’m not suggesting that you hold back this important part of your treatment. However, they are generally happier if they don’t see it spelt out in the service name or description.

If you’re offering a deep cleansing treatment, say that and use words and phrases men will relate to more readily. I’ve even seen this treatment referred to as a “Cut and Polish” in one clever salon menu. Men are happier with this simple, to-the-point description rather than a detailed description that talks about how pampering and luxurious the treatment is.

Even though you are developing a new menu for your male clients, the actual treatments don’t have to be different to the ones you offer your female clients – they just have to sound manlier.

If you’re not sure where to start, jump onto the internet and search out the men-only salons for some inspiration.

Strategy # 3 – Create Treatment Packages Just For Men

Rather than settling for your male clients just having one treatment in your salon, develop some packages for them also. Packages will give your guys the opportunity to enjoy multiple services in a single visit, expose them to more treatment options, and create more retail opportunities for you as well.

Include your packages on your “Just for Men” menu and promote them to your female clients to purchase as Gift Vouchers.

Strategy # 4 – ‘Man’etise Your Salon

Once you have managed to attract men into your salon, you don’t want them turning and fleeing at the sight of all things girly. Step outside your front doors and walk back in, looking at your reception through the eyes of a male client.

Does your waiting area scream out ‘women only’?

Is it overrun with the latest gossip or bridal magazines as the only reading material available?

Is everything pink or overly feminine?

Chances are, most men will take one look at this and run for their lives.

Instead, let them know that you cater to men by adding a few magazines to your waiting area that men will enjoy browsing through. You can also replace a few of those wall photos featuring women with ones showing men having similar treatments.

Consider adding a “Men Welcome” sign at your entrance to let men know that you have services suitable for them and that they will feel at ease once inside your salon.

Another thing to think about when you are ready to re-decorate is the colour scheme you choose. Warm neutral tones, rather than overly feminine colours, are naturally more appealing to male clients and will create an atmosphere that appeals to both men and women.

You can do many simple things to make your salon more welcoming to male clients, so take a few minutes to walk through your salon and decide what you can add, or perhaps remove, to achieve that outcome.

Strategy # 5 – Reduce Uninviting Odours

Salons that offer acrylic nails to their clients can have an additional hurdle to get over, and that is the smell of the acrylic monomer.

Many men have a real aversion to this odour and can smell it a mile off.

Investigate ways to minimise this odour, and try to seek out low odour products to use instead. Also, make sure you have super-efficient ventilation around the nail service area to remove this unappealing smell as much as possible.

A pleasant aromatherapy scent near the front of your salon, that both men and women will find appealing, is also a great idea.

Strategy # 6 – Offer Male Clients a Private Treatment Area

If you normally provide services that are visible to people outside your salon, such as manicures and pedicures, consider creating a private treatment area where men can relax and enjoy their services without feeling they are on display to the world.

Try to be adaptable with your service routines by providing your manicures and pedicures in the privacy of a treatment room. You can accomplish this with a little bit of re-arranging, and your male clients will feel much more relaxed and less intimidated.

It’s one thing for a man to sit in a ladies hair salon while having a haircut, but being on display in a beauty salon is not something most men will enjoy or want to repeat.

Strategy # 7 – Create a Couples Room

If space permits, why not consider creating a couples room where your female clients can bring along their male partner. Men are much more likely to venture into a beauty salon with their partner on a first visit, so it’s a great way to get them into your salon to try something new and indulge in a touch of pampering.

Develop a selection of couple’s packages that you can promote to all of your female clients that consist of treatments that men will enjoy as much as the ladies. Massage, facials and pedicures are a great place to start.

Strategy # 8 – Retail for the Male

If retail sales are an important part of your business (and it should be), you might want to consider stocking a product range designed to meet the needs of your new male clientele.

Most men make excellent retail clients. They are not frightened to buy professionally recommended products and in fact, often want good advice and product suggestions to improve their appearance.

This provides you with an excellent retailing opportunity for your salon and a means to grow your profitability through increased retail sales.

Strategy # 9 – Use Existing Clients for Referral Marketing

It’s no secret that the best way to attract a new client into your salon is through a personal referral by an existing client. This is the ideal way to get the ball rolling when it comes to getting more men through your front door.

Most women can persuade multiple men in their lives to give salon and spa treatments a try. With husbands, boyfriends, brothers and male co-workers all in their circle of influence, your female clients can help you to not only grow your client base but your bottom line also.

One method that you can use is to give each of your female clients a gift voucher valued at about twenty dollars to give to a man (only) who has never been to your salon before.

Make the vouchers redeemable against services that you’re trying to promote, and when the vouchers come in, send a salon gift voucher to your referring client to say thank you and show your appreciation.

By doing this, you’re not only getting your existing clients to bring more men into your salon for you, but they will do so gladly as they are also being rewarded for their referrals.

Times have changed, and so have men’s attitudes to having professional salon treatments.

You can take advantage of this new trend, and in turn, create a new income stream for your salon or spa.

Creating the changes needed to attract more men is not hard to do, nor need it be an expensive exercise. Take the suggested ideas from this article and look at how you can implement them into your business.

Once you get started, you’ll quickly realise just how easy it is to make your salon man-friendly, and it won’t take long before your profits begin to show a healthy growth as well.

Pam is an industry experienced coach, past salon owner, speaker, author and copywriter. She works beside salon and spa owners to show them how to effectively grow their profits and remain in business for the long-term.